The month of August brings another price increase for those still under the vulnerability protection regime: the price of gas rises by 6.9%, marking the fourth consecutive increase. This was announced by Arera, which published the tariff update based on the monthly average of the PSV day ahead, the Italian wholesale market. The raw material price rose from 56.68 to 64.15 euros/MWh, pushing the reference price for vulnerable customers to 143.72 cents per cubic meter, compared to 134.40 cents the previous month.
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Why the price is rising
According to Arera, the increase is linked to the rise in wholesale prices, which saw a significant acceleration during the month. The change directly affects the bills of about 2.3 million users who are still within the scope of protected prices.
The impact on families
The new tariff update weighs noticeably on household budgets. Codacons calculates that, with consumption remaining the same, the August increase results in an additional annual expense of 102.6 euros compared to July’s rates. The average gas bill for a vulnerable user thus reaches 1,581 euros per year, a figure which, added to 632.6 euros for electricity, brings the total to 2,213.6 euros annually. Compared to August 2025, tariffs are 33.8% higher, amounting to an increase of about 400 euros per user.
A summer of price hikes
The overall picture confirms a trend that has lasted for months. Istat estimates for August an annual increase of 11.3% for gas and 17.9% for electricity, numbers that depict a “summer sting” worsened by the massive use of air conditioners during the prolonged heatwave.
The highest price ever… in summer
The National Consumers Union points out that the current gas price represents the second highest price ever recorded, only lower than the peak of December 2022, when the war in Ukraine caused demand to explode in the middle of winter. The fact that such a high level is reached in August, with lower consumption, is considered a worrying sign. The association calls for urgent government intervention, such as the VAT reduction to 5% previously adopted, to prevent the budgets of the most vulnerable families from suffering.
An emergency that requires responses
Consumer associations agree: without immediate measures, the risk is that the burden of bills will become unsustainable for a growing part of the population. The August increase is not an isolated episode but an indicator of the pressure the energy market continues to exert on Italian families.
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